Flyfishing into Fall in the Colorado Highcountry

This year has been a challenging one for anyone in the fly-fishing business or just a fly fisherman for that matter.  With record snow pack in the high country, the run off lasted well into July.  This made for tough fishing! Our trips were having success through this tough season, but if you were not a guide or fishing with one the fishing could be tough.

Late July and August brought some great fishing to the high country.  We may have missed some of the key hatches, such as the Green Drake on the Blue River and a few others, but we have found healthy trout and plenty of bug life.  This year’s dry fly fishing has not really lived up to expectations but the nymph and dry dropper fishing has been excellent with plenty of plump fish eating nymph patterns.

The next two months bring my favorite fly fishing and float fishing season to the high country; the fall.  The fall brings cooler temperatures to the low and warm waters of late summer. The cooler temperatures kick the bug activity back into action and of course the fishing with it.  This year will be no different except that water levels have not even been close to low. What this means is fat fish, good hatches and great levels on all the rivers, whether floating or wading.  This also means less spooky fish and with the higher water levels we should see hatches lasting well into October and even November on many rivers.

Everyone at Blue River Anglers is talking about the great fall season hitting here in Colorado. We are very excited about all of our wade fishing rivers that will be fishing great, deep into the fall and early winter.  We are most excited about the great float fishing season we are about to encounter.  Fall is probably the best season for float fishing here in Colorado and not only will we be floating the upper stretches of the Colorado, but we also have a permit for the Lower Colorado and Roaring Fork rivers in the Glenwood Springs area.  The lower Colorado and Roaring Fork sections of stream have fishing and float fishing seasons that last a good month or two longer, with warmer temperatures lasting early winter. This means float trips up to Thanksgiving, some years!

I know I am going to enjoy this fall fishing season for my missed spring season and I hope you all will come out and take advantage of the great fall fishing season here in Colorado and make up for your missed fishing trips from the spring.

~Ezekiel Hersh, Blue River Anglers 

~Photo Courtesy of Glenwood Springs Chamber of Commerce